By IINA
Bethlehem : Israeli commandos have opened fire on an unmarked car in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, shooting dead four Palestinian fighters. Those killed include Muhammad Shahada, 48, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, and Ahmed Al Balbul, also 48, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Two others killed were identified as members of the Islamic Jihad group.
Hours later, Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip fired at least four rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot. No injuries were reported in the town after the attack which, according to Reuters, was claimed by Islamic Jihad as an “initial” response to the Bethlehem killings. The violence comes after a surge in violence in the Gaza Strip that left 125 dead in one week. According to witnesses a team of Israeli commandos disguised as locals and driving a car with Palestinian number plates sprayed the fighters’ car with bullets.